New National Poll: Women of Color Are A Powerful Voting Bloc, Holding Elected Officials Accountable for Action

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Intersections of
Our Lives released new polling data that demonstrates
the growing power of Black, Latina, Asian American and
Pacific Islander women voters. This new research follows the 2018 midterm
election where women of color voted at historic levels. Intersections of
Our Lives is a collaborative of three Reproductive Justice organizations: National
Latina Institute for Reproductive Health; In Our Own Voice: National Black
Women’s Reproductive Justice Agenda; and National Asian Pacific American
Women’s Forum.

The poll demonstrates that women of color voters are overwhelmingly
concerned about the state of the country (75 percent) and believed that the
stakes were too high not to vote in the 2018 election (88 percent). Importantly,
a majority of women of color are paying close attention to the actions of their
elected officials and want to see progress made on the issues they care about –
including access to clean water, access to affordable health care, and ending racial
discrimination.

“Our
national survey findings make it clear that women of color are a powerful voice
in the electorate that shouldn’t be ignored – we are paying attention and
participating in our democracy at higher rates than ever before,” said Jessica
González-Rojas, Executive Director of the National Latina Institute for
Reproductive Health.

“The
poll confirms what we have known all along: that women of color perceive
policies intersectionally and that our collective experiences motivate us to
demand that our elected officials act now for justice and equity for our
communities,” said Marcela Howell, President and Founder of In Our Own
Voice: National Black Women’s Reproductive Justice Agenda.

“Intersections
of Our Lives is committed to ensuring women of color have a strong voice in our
nation and we are dedicated to holding elected officials accountable for
addressing the issues and barriers that millions of women of color around the
country face every single day,” said Sung Yeon Choimorrow, Executive Director
of the National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum.

The key findings from the nationwide poll include:

What Motivated
Women of Color to Vote

88 percent of
women of color voters said the stakes in the 2018 midterm election were too
high not to vote.

75 percent expressed serious
concerns about the trajectory of the country, noting they were angry,
disgusted, scared, sad or nervous.

74 percent of women of color
voters doubt that the country will be safe for the next generation, with Black
women having the strongest concerns.

Women of Color Were
Concerned Their Vote Didn’t Count

23 percent of women of color
voters do not think their vote was counted accurately.

33 percent
of women of color voters experienced an issue voting, such as being asked to
show an ID to an election official.

How Women of
Color Voted and What They Thought About the Candidates

Three-quarters
of women of color voters supported the Democratic candidates in statewide and
federal races.

Women of
color said that they voted for candidates because they felt a need for change
and because the candidates reflected their values.

37 percent of women of color who voted for a
Democratic member of Congress said their vote represented a need for change.

28 percent of women of color who voted for a
Republican member of Congress did so to reflect their values.

74 percent
of the women of color who voted for Democrats said Democratic candidates earned
their vote. They did not vote for the Democrat as a reaction to or a rejection
of the alternative.

71 percent
of women of color voters felt satisfied with the candidates they had to choose from
in the 2018 election. Yet they would prefer to see more women of color
candidates and candidates acknowledging the issues they care about.

What Women of
Color Want Congress to Focus On

While the priorities of women
of color are not monolithic, common ground exists. The top issues women of
color want to see members of Congress make progress on over the next two years
include:

Ending
racial/ethnic/cultural discrimination (62 percent)

Ensuring
people with pre-existing conditions can still access health insurance (62
percent)

Ensuring
access to clean water (62 percent)

Ensuring
everyone has access to affordable health care (60 percent)

84 percent of
women of color voters believe candidates should support women making their own
decisions about their reproductive health.

62 percent
of women of color voters say they will be watching their elected officials in
Congress more closely compared to previous elections.

There
are 63 million women of color living in the United States today and over the
next four decades the community is expected to almost double. This growing
population is becoming an increasingly strong voice in the electorate, with post-election
data demonstrating women of color voting at higher rates in the 2018 election
than in past midterm elections. In fact, an analysis by TargetSmart of states
where turnout data is available found that in Florida the number of women of
color who voted grew by more than 70 percent, from representing 13 percent of voters
in 2014 to 17 percent in 2018. And in Texas, the number of women of color who
voted more than doubled from 2014 to 2018 and grew from representing 12 percent
of voters in 2014 to 15.4 percent in 2018.

The poll, which was conducted by SKDKnickerbocker, included
interviews of 2,663 adult women who identify as Black or African
American, Hispanic, Latino, of a Spanish-speaking background, Asian
American or Pacific Islander and who voted in the 2018 midterm elections. The interviews
were conducted between January 23 and February 14, 2019. The survey was made
available in English, Spanish, Mandarin Chinese, Vietnamese, and Korean and was
administered online and by telephone.

Intersections
of Our Lives is a collaborative of National Asian Pacific American Women’s
Forum (NAPAWF), In Our Own Voice: National Black Women’s Reproductive Justice
Agenda (In Our Own Voice), and National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health
(NLIRH), three women-of-color led national Reproductive Justice organizations
with both federal and statewide presence.